"Perhaps the sentiments contained in the following pages, are not yet sufficiently fashionable to procure them general favor; a long habit of not thinking a thing wrong, gives it a superficial appearance of being right, and raises at first a formidable outcry in defense of custom. But the tumult soon subsides. Time makes more converts than reason."
-From "Common Sense," by Thomas Paine

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Shooting from the hip.

Apparently Rosalie had a deadline to meet and needed a quick and easy fill. If you base your argument for a rise in premiums based solely upon the top wage earners, you ignore what sort of effect it will have upon the bottom wage earners.

Rosalie also ignores the history of contract negotiations with the City. Throughout the 80's and 90's, the teachers consistently took less in raises in favor of generous pension and health benefits. Concessions on the wage side equaled a fair health care plan that compensated for lower salaries.

If the City raise health care premiums under the new contract, will they return to previous contracts and give these teachers the raises the passed up? We know they won't. The lower premiums are something the teachers fought for and earned with their hard work. Raising it now in the face of rising health care is the wrong message, and punishes long time employees of the school system because we have a new City Manager with different goals then previous City Managers.

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On the grammatical end, its sinecure, not sincure. Calling a teaching position a sinecure is a cheap shot and an insult. It's a difficult, emotionally draining and frustrating job at times. While there are some deadbeat teachers out there, most are hard working, caring individuals teaching because they have a calling to teach. Teachers do take their work home with them at night and on weekends. All teachers have extra help sessions after school, and thanks to education reform and dwindling staffs, most prep periods are full of responsibilities and paperwork other than correcting tests.